A Light in a Darkness
by Larcian
Summary: Princess Zathara of the Northern Water Tribe loves waterbending. However, women who bend are looked down upon. When she discovers that she is the "Avatar," what will happen? Cowritten with The BloodBender at Full Moon.
1. Chapter 1

**And I'm back with another story! However, this one is going to be cowritten with The BloodBender at Full Moon *nods***

LET THE FUN BEGIN!

- 

Arms moved with ease, seasoned and supple. The water moved in a gyration around a lone figure, which was barely visible in the ivory snow.

Soon, the arms stopped moving and moved to a prayer position. The figure's face furrowed in concentration, trying to keep the water up by just thinking about it- about the push and pull of the tide.

"Zathara!" a voiced called out. The water faltered slightly, but it didn't fall. "_Za_-_tha_-_ra_!" The water crashed to the ground. Zathara let out a small sigh before opening her eyes and glancing sideways at the source of the noise.

Stumbling down the hill was Zathara's former nurse, Noriko. She looked quite the sight bundled up in a multitude of coats. As she neared, Zathara could hear her breathing heavily.

"Yes, Noriko?" Zathara asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible. However, Noriko was no fool. She could see the slosh that was once snow which made a perfect circle around Zathara.

"We're you practicing your silly bending tricks again?" the nurse asked and put her hands on her hips. Zathara rolled her eyes.

"They're not silly, they're useful skills."

"Bending isn't proper for a lady such as yourself."

Zathara narrowed her eyes. "Girl's in the Air Nomads can airbend! It's not fair!"

"And those girls are a bunch of savages. Oooh, if I had the chance, I would give them all a beating." Noriko's jaw was set. She wasn't going to change her opinion any time soon. "Now come. Your parents would like to see you." The nurse started up the hill again, expecting Zathara to follow.

"What for?" the Water Tribe princess asked as they walked toward the palace.

"Don't question your parents, girl!"

"Sorry, Nori."

"Princess Zathara, you are not a little girl any more. You are to call me by my full name, as I do to you."

"Yes, Noriko," Zathara said dully.

"You need to sound alive! Give your voice energy! How are you ever going to get a proper husband if you speak dully?"

"Yes, Noriko!" Zathara said smartly as she forced a smile upon her face. The nurse just glared at her, shook her head and clucked her tongue. The banter continued as they entered the palace gates.

Boy was Zathara in for a surprise.


	2. Chapter 2

**MY TURN (The BloodBender at Full Moon)**

**WE DO NOT OWN AVATAR BUT WE DO OWN ZATHARA AND HER SIDEKICKS. **

**Someone in the background: Who are you calling sidekick? **

Zathara walked into the palace grand chamber. The whole room was made of ice with beautiful carvings and fur. Her father and mother sat on their thrones with the council members behind them. Most them were a bunch of old guys that helped to keep order in the northern water tribe. The world was crumbling around them; the Earth Kingdom is a landmass of chaos; there where whispers of war from the Fire Nation; and the Air Nomads were pretty much the same, peaceful people, and the Water Tribe needed to get off its high horse. So, pretty much the Air Nomads were the normal ones here.

"Yes, you wanted to see me?" Zathara asked.

"Princess Zathara," her father said, getting straight to the point, "it has come to our attention that your rebellious behavior is getting out of control. Skipping lessons, back talking to your nurse, and wearing inappropriate attire." Zathara looked down at herself. She was wearing pants with knee high boots and a male's parka. She had borrowed some of her brother's clothes to practice bending- her people she was seen as a cross-dresser. But she didn't mind; she hated wearing dresses. "And for what- to practice your bending? It is unproper for young women to practice. We've had this tradition for centuries, and we plan to keep it that way."

"Father, this is who I am. I am a bender. Besides, we need to prepare ourselves. There is war on the horizon."

"Those are just rumors. Nothing for ourselves to be worried about," her father replied, narrowing his eyes. "Now your mother and I have been talking about it and we have decided that it time for you to find a husband."

"Wait what?" She almost yelled across the room.

"I have already picked out one for you. Kano come out please?" A boy of about seventeen walked out. He was taller than Zathara by only a little bit, with dark blue eyes that showed that he was a waterbender. There was some kind of spark in the eyes of a bender that showed this. He had his hair pulled back into a top knot and had strands of hair that outlined his face. Zathara never liked Kano because of his ego.

"Princess this is an honor." When he said that, her world shattered in front of her. She didnt know what else to say. She opened her mouth, but she couldn't say anything. She was in shock. She didn't want to get married- not yet. Not this freak.

"THERE IS NO WAY I AM MARRYING A HIGH EGO MANIC LIKE HIM!"

"Zathara, please, this is for your own good." Her mother spoke for the first time .

"NO I REFUSE TO!" Zathara turned and stomped out of the grand chamber.

"Well I think that went well," said Kyle. He was sitting quietly behind his father as he watched his sister get the news about her engagement.

**R&R PLEASE! XD**


	3. Chapter 3

Zathara kneeled at the water's edge and let tears flow down her cheeks. This wasn't fair. They couldn't do this to her.

Her tears reached the tranquil waters of the spirit oasis, creating ripples in the water. In the center, Twi and La circled endlessly. As she stared at them, she could swear she saw the fish glow, but as soon as she gave them a second glance, the glow was gone.

"I knew you would be here," said a voice behind her. Zathara jumped and turned around.

"Don't scare me like that, Destin," she said, getting up to hug her brother's close friend.

"Sorry, Princess," he quipped, a smirk growing on his face as Zathara made a face at the name. Just then, Noriko walked in. She was panting heavily again.

"There you are," the maid said between breaths. It only took one glance between Destin and Zathara to make a plan. The princess jumped on Destin's back and he ran past the maid, who turned to shout at the youths.

A few minutes later, the two were laughing. Their cheeks were bright red and their hair was covered with snow. Zathara lied lazily in the snow, careful not to move in case her snow angel would be ruined. Destin had started to make a snowman.

Suddenly, Zathara's vision was filled with white, and the snow pierced her face. She blubbered, sat up and wiped the snow off her face, forgetting all about her snow angel. Destin was already running away, obviously guilty. Zathara grinned and formed a snowball in her hand. Then she froze a long path of ice and jumped on it, sliding after Destin, slowly gaining up. As she whizzed past him, she threw the snowball at him. The snow hit its target and Destin slowed down. Zathara giggled as she came to a stop, looking back at him.

Someone cleared their throat and Zathara turned around to face boots. She followed the boots up to the face of her father, who had a look of disapproval on his face. Next to him stood his advisors, Kyle, and Kano. Zathara stood up quickly.

"Father," she said lightly, tilting her head down, "I-"

"No excuses," was all he said before two guards came from behind, each taking her by the arm. She struggled and thrashed about as they dragged her toward the palace. At one point, she froze their feet to the ground, but a man came up and unfroze them, glaring at her as if she were the ugliest thing that he had ever seen. One of the guards jabbed her at a pressure point, and her body went limp. She hung her head, glaring at her father and his advisors and Kano through strands of her now wild hair that had fallen in her face. Kyle looked on sympathetically.

"I HATE YOU!" she screamed, her voice piercing the air, going up octaves. Her father didn't give her a second glance. Nor did his advisors. The group walked on, past Destin, who stood a ways off. He looked apologetically at Zathara. She glared at him.

The guards continued to drag her to her room.

**Woohoo! No more writers' block! *dances* And now you all shall wait while The BloodBender at Full Moon types chapter four! :p  
~Larcian **


	4. Chapter 4

**HERE I GO KIDDES Bloodbender of the full moon. Sorry it took so long**

After Zathara was banished to her room, the guards locked the door behind her. She hated this. She hated this engagement. She hated being a princess, and she hated that she could not use bending. The young princess felt that she could do something much more- more than anything. Zathara lied on her bed ,looking up at the drawings that were craved into the ice ceiling with great detail; some of them she had put there herself.

_Tap, tap._

"Mhh?" Zathara got up from her bed and walked over to the window where the tapping noise was coming from. Zathara opened the window.

"Princess!" The girl looked down and saw Destin and Kyle. Her brother waved sligthly and gave an apologetic smile.

"What do you guys want? Don't you see I am already in enough trouble today?"

"Look, we just want to make it up to you," Kyle whispered. "I have Poll saddled up and we want to take you out for a midnight ride." Zathara rubbed her chin to think about it.

"Fine, count me in."

"Alright, climb down." Zathara looked down as she stepped on the window ledge. It was not that bad. She threw her leg over the window sill. There was an ice flower vine on the side of the castle, which was perfect for her to sneak in and out. Zathara was five feet from touching the bottom when her hand slipped off the vine. Zathara let out a cry-less scream. Seconds before she hit the ground, Destin grabbed her by the waist. Zathara blushed as Destin pulled away.

"Be careful Zathara," Kyle whispered.

"HEY WHO'S THERE?" The three teenagers froze as two guards came around the corner.

"Hide!" The three dived into a bush and stayed quiet.

"I could have sworn I heard something," said one guard.

"Well, there is nothing here, as it may seem," said the other. They turned away and continued walking.

"Sooo.. what were you saying?"

"What if, this world was made for someone's enjoyment, and there are two teenage girls that are twisting reality as we speak?" The first guard stopped to look at his coworker.

"Okay, no more beer with stewed sea prunes for you."

"Okay they're gone," Zathara whispered when the guards were out of sight. "So what do you guys want to do?"

Zathara's laughter fillled the ice cold air, as she rode down a hill on the back of a penguin. The three teenagers rode out to Wolf's Ridge to go penguin sledding like they used to as children.

"I LOVE YOU GUYS!" She cried out in enjoyment.

"See I told you she would like it," Destin chuckled.

"Race you to the bottom!" The three were head to head, the speed was incredible for Zathara. Adrenaline rushed through her veins. She looked up at Destin. He was smiling. Zathara always liked his smiles. She could rely on them to make sure everything was going to be alright. The moonlight bounced off him, giving that certain glow. Zathara looked at him for a while.

"SIS WACTH OUT!"

"Uhhh..." Zathara looked ahead. There was a big huge boulder coming up at them. Destin and Kyle stopped early enough, but Zathara kept on going. Her penguin managed to stop, but Zathara was thrown in the air...


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey, guys it's been a while. I had major writers' block for this chapter as I wasn't sure where I wanted to bring the story. However, I'm happy to say that it's gone for now, and hopefully The BloodBender at Full Moon will start typing chapter six. ^_^_

_~Bri_

Zathara had been expecting to crash into the boulder, get a lot of bruises, and be reprimanded for it later. However, she never felt anything. Her vision was a swirl of colors and her thoughts were too incomprehensible. In fact, she couldn't really remember the past five minutes.

So when she came to in Destin's arms, ten feet away from the boulder, she was rewarded with a nasty headache and blurry eyesight. Realizing that she was in Destin's arms, she misplaced her judgment in standing too quickly and pitched forward. Destin caught her around the waist before she could fall. The two stood like this in an awkward silence before parting.

"Are you okay?" Kyle asked, not even noticing the awkwardness between the other two. After Zathara gave a slow nod, he followed up with another question, "What was that, some kind of new trick you learned?"

"Hm?" Zathara furrowed her brows in puzzlement.

"That flying thing, it was cool."

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about, Kyle." She saw Destin and Kyle exchange glances. "What?"

"So you don't remember all the glowing lights?"

"For the last time, Kyle, no! I don't remember anything of what just happened." She walked past the two boys and got back on her penguin. "I have to get back before they notice I'm gone. Good night."

000

As soon as she was let out of her room the next morning, Zathara skipped breakfast and went straight to the Spirit Oasis again. She was going to pray to Tui and La and find some answers.

She sat at the edge of the pond, the fish circling around in their usual pattern. Zathara stared at them long and hard, silently demanding that they explain.

Suddenly, she unconsciously fell forward into the water. Not even this disturbance could disrupt the fish. They still continued as if nothing had happened.


	6. Chapter 6

**This is an awesomely aweso****me chapter written by The BloodBender at Full Moon! Check out her Avatar story, Book 1: World of Winds. It's AWESOME!**

**~Larcian**

The princess awoke on a rocky plain. There were no signs of life besides a bonzai tree that looked lonely. Zathara stood up and dusted herself off. She took a second to take in her surroundings.

"Hello?" she asked.

"She is not the one," a powerful voice roared throughout the plain. Zathara jumped at the sudden boom.

"Agni, you're just mad that the cycle is not starting with you," a girl's voice giggled.

"Hello? Anyone there?" Zathara asked again.

"Are you sure about this Luna, this is the one you want?" the voice called 'Agni' asked.

"I am postive," Luna said.

"Welcome Zathara." Four spirits appeared in front of her. "Do you know who we are?" It was a young girl clad in blue that spoke. She couldn't be older than Zathara- probably _younger_.

"You're... the spirit of the Water Tribe," the Water Tribe princess said slowly. She was happy that she could remember something from her lessons.

"Yes, child." Zathara almost laughed. The Water Tribe spirit was calling _her_a child?

"I am in the spirit world, aren't I?"

"Yes," said another female spirit. "I am Aya, the spirit of the Air Nomads."

"What am I doing here?" Panic rose in Zathara's voice. "Am I dead?"

"No," answered another spirit called Tang, "it is time that your destiny is unfolded."

"You have a very important task that will repeat itself until the bending era comes to a end," Aya smiled. "You are the first Avatar."

"The what?"

"Avatar, it is your job to master all four elements and keep balance in the world," Luna calmly explained. "You are the bridge between the physical world and the spirit world." Zathara stood there in silence for a few seconds.

"I knew there was something special about me, I knew it!"

"Don't get a big head, my people are planing a war that will take over the entire world," Agni sneered. Zathara shut her mouth, but she had more questions.

"Where should I start?"

"You will found out more in due time, but now we must part," Luna said. The spirits started to fade away.

"Wait? What? I still have more questions!" But a white flash blinded her and she could see nothing

Zathara resurfaced and quickly climbed out of the water. She was lying on the ground when she heard her brother out calling for her.

"Zathara, I've …...Why are you all wet?"

"Kyle! Where is Dad?"

"He is in a meeting with the high council. Why?"

"I will tell you later, but come on!" Zathara ran out of the spirit oasis, dragging her brother along.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to get another chapter out! I was toying around with ideas again.**

**Just giving you a heads-up: school started for me, so homework is a first, and writing is a close second. So if you need a status update on where I am with a story, just head on over to my profile where I've created a story status thing, where I can tell you if I'm working on a story or not or what's up with the story at that point in time. :)**

**This chapter is dedicated to Sierra () for her motivation! *hands cookie***

**Written by me~**

**~Larcian**

She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at the guards before her. "Let me in _now_," she demanded.

"I'm sorry, Princess," said the younger of the two guards. His brown eyes shone with fear as he spoke. "The Chief says that this is a very important meeting and he is to be disturbed by no one unless it is an absolute emergency."

"This _is_ an emergency!" She stamped her foot.

Kyle placed a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe we should come back later." She shrugged his hand away and turned her glare upon him.

"Shut up. You don't even know what I'm talking about."

The older guard spoke up. "Well if you can tell us, I'm sure we should be able to get a message to him by the next meal and-"

"That's too late! I need to talk to him now!"

"No can do."

"The spirits of origin came to me in a vision and told me of an important task that I must do." Zathara spoke quickly and, while the guards still stood in shock, she pushed past them and swept into the room, with Kyle following closely behind.

The hall was silent as every man at the table turned their heads to stare at the two royals. Every man except Chief Verun, who wrote something on a scroll as he spoke. "I hope you have a good reason for interrupting this meeting, my children."

Zathara lowered her head as a sign of respect. "Father, I have received a vision from the spirits. They say that I can control all four elements and I have to help create peace in the world." The chief paused in his writing while others murmured around him

"That," he said, putting his brush down, "is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. No one can control all the elements! Especially a _girl_." Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"If you would please, Chief Varun," said a voice, "I would like to see a demonstration of this." It was Kano. Zathara glared at him.

"Yes, sure, go ahead." The chief waved his hand and went back to his writing. The rest of the men stared at her in earnest, waiting for Zathara to fail.

"Don't do this," Kyle whispered in her ear. "Just admit that the spirits were messing with you."

"Do _you_ even believe me, Kyle?" But he gave no answer. He just stepped back to the door, waiting in the entryway. Zathara swallowed and stood in a waterbending stance. She might as well start with that.

She waterbent the water from a nearby vase and made it swirl around the heads of the council. She could tell they were getting bored very easily, wanting to see the other elements. So Zathara stood in a stance that she had seen airbenders do when they came to last year's cultural festival, and tried to copy the moves she had seen them do.

"Zathara, stop playing games and go back to your wedding preparations," her father said, not even looking up from his scroll. Nothing had come from the moves. She was convinced the spirits wanted to make a laughing stock out of her. She stopped and hung her head in defeat.

"Yes, Father." She backed up a few paces before running out the door, and she didn't stop until she reached her room. Muffled sobs came from her as she lied face down on her bed. She refused to come to dinner, yelling at Noriko through angry tears, and continued to cry until she fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Next chapter written by Bloodbender at the Full Moon! :D R and R por favor!**

Zathara awoke to a knock at the door. She blinked a few seconds before she remembered what had happened the previous day and turned around to face the wall.

"Go away!" she shouted drowsily.

"It's me, Destin." The door opened with a squeak as he entered the room. Without looking, she aimed a pillow at him and threw it. The pillow flew through the air and missed its target. Instead hitting a priceless vase that sat beside the door. The vase shattered across the floor. Zathara just groaned and kept her eyes closed.

"I do not need this right now," she said as Destin went down on his knees to pick up the pieces. There was silence.

"I heard what happened from Kyle," Destin finally spoke.

"The whole tribe must know by now. I am the laughing stock. The sprits must have been bored." She looked up at the ceiling. "VERY FUNNY, EVERYONE IS LAUGHING!" She screamed to the heavens.

"Zathara, calm down. Not everyone is laughing at you."

"Like who?" She grumbled as she sat up, staring at the floor.

"Me." Zathara looked up at Destin, staring straight into his eyes. He wasn't lying. "The spirits work in ways we can't explain and if they have chosen you to bend all four elements, then they have chosen you." Zathara snorted and joined Destin on the floor to help clean up.

"Then explain why I wasn't able to bend other elements."

"Easy, you need to find masters and study the other four." Destin said.

"How will I-" A cough interrupted them both. It was Noriko, her mother, and the royal fitter.

"Princess Zathara, you know better than to be in a room alone with a man who is not your betrothed," her mother lectured.

"It's all right, Your Highness, I was just leaving," Destin said getting up. "I was just seeing if she was alright." Destin gave a small bow before he left the room. Zathara stood up with some of the vase fragments in her hand. She placed them on the pedestal where the vase had once stood as Noriko clucked her tongue and her mother gave her a look. The royal fitter left the room for a second and came back in with four sets of racks with dresses on them.

"Do we have to do this now?"

"Yes, it is time that you picked out a wedding dress," her mother said with a bright smile. "I have been waiting for this moment for sixteen years now."

"Do you mean you pick out my wedding dress?" Zathara asked under her breath.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, Mother." Zathara walked up to the dress rack, all of the dresses were different shades of blue with fur accents. Her mother began to pull out a few while Noriko nodded her head in agreement. Zathara was forced to try on a big, blue dress that look like it was big enough to hold a circus under it. The dress had long white sleeves that were made out of fur. The top had an arctic fox's head sitting above her chest with a long white cape flowing behind her.

"That is the one," her mother gushed with tears shinning her eyes. "How do you feel?"

"I feel ridiculous, Mother." Her mother and Noriko frowned. Zathara could barely walk over to the dress rack to pick out a different one. She had reached the end of all four racks before she stumbled across a light lavender one that was slimming. It was simple and off the shoulder, yet elegant. Zathara pulled it off the dress rack. She looked at the silver designs on it that started at the shoulder and swirled all the way down to the end of the wide sleeves.

"That isn't my best work, Your Highness," the tailor apologized.

"Yes it is; your dresses look like stuffed animals." The royal fitter looked like he was going to die.

"Zathara, this is your wedding you will be only married once. Are you sure that is what you want to be wed in?"

"Mother if I am going to slave away for a man for the rest of my life, I will wear what I what I want." Zathara said, changing behind the curtains. She came back out wearing the purple dress. It fit her figure perfectly and she fell in love with it. "This is what I want to wear."

"Fine if that is what you want," Her mother sighed sadly.

"We can make it up with the veil your highness, not to mention the jewelry…" The tailor continued to talk to her mother and Noriko in earnest, and the two took in every detail he said.

As they spoke, Zathara turned to look at herself in the mirror. If she ever went somewhere, she was going to bring this dress with her no matter what.

_I need to figure out how to find teachers_. She noted to herself. _I'll talk to Destin and Kyle later._

**~Larcian**


End file.
